Mac Net Journal

The answer behind this eWeek column is simple - most Internet plagues today are tied to the operating system, not to the processor that the operating system runs on.

Looking forward to the State of the Meltdown address
Sunday, January 29, 2006, 7:22 PM

I have to admit that I am looking forward to Tuesday's spin-fest, as President Bush tries to present a well-rehearsed interpretation of how things are going in his America in the State of the Union address. ABC News notes the challenges facing the unpopular president, along with the latest polling numbers: Weak ratings confront Bush ahead of State of Union.

That's the way things go when you are failing to find anything close to success in all of your priorities, and when behind the scenes the corrupt underbelly of the political machine that got you elected is being exposed.

Useful reading: The Tao of Resolution
Sunday, January 29, 2006, 3:41 PM

CreativeBits offers a useful post for anyone who has to work with images or line art: The Tao of Resolution.

Another Mac to the rescue story
Saturday, January 28, 2006, 10:50 AM

I was reminded yesterday why I consider my PowerBook the Swiss Army Knife of computing in my work for the City of Tacoma. Yesterday a co-worker had a huge Word file that she needed to turn back into a PDF. No matter what we did, we couldn't get our aging Gateway laptops and Adobe Acrobat to do the job. It just continued to choke. So I threw my aging 12-inch PowerBook G4 at the task. No problem. I opened the file in Word, hit Command-P, chose the option to print to a PDF...success.

The best part of this simple task was explaining to my co-worker why I could do this on my Mac while we couldn't do job on Windows. Simple. Macs are made for getting things done, and the ability to create PDFs of just about any file are built right into the operating system.

A couple of other things that I use my PowerBook to do at work:

Open video files on DVD that just won't run on the Windows laptops
Easily create movies for presentations using iMovie

Ancient flaws in Mac OS X code?
Thursday, January 26, 2006, 1:53 PM

A ZDNet article today takes Apple to task, claiming that a number of ancient security flaws are present in Mac OS X.

Apple's impressive security record is likely to be tarnished if the company continues to grow its market share while undervaluing security researchers and not properly auditing its code

A good article if you carry a laptop, PDA or smart phone
Thursday, January 26, 2006, 12:51 PM

A commentary on Wired News today offers some good reminders about the risks of carrying so much of your data with you: Big risks come in small packages.

Apple ignoring problems with 15-inch PowerBook G4?
Thursday, January 26, 2006, 9:03 AM

The Apple Core: PowerBook G4 Defects - Apple is having some serious, documented issues with the 15-inch PowerBook G4s that were released in October 2005 (a.k.a "High-Resolution" or "Double-Layer SD") and it appears that they are ignoring them. Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet blog... [PowerPage.org]

My thoughts on Jobs and Disney
Tuesday, January 24, 2006, 10:39 PM

Congratulations to Steve Jobs for becoming the largest stockholder in Disney as a result of the acquisition of Pixar. It's good to see people with ideas move up in the world. I do have to admit that I am a little apprehensive about the change. My hope is that Steve Jobs will choose to continue to innovate and concentrate on his work with Apple, a company that creates tools that empower others to create, rather than to concentrate his work on Disney's products, treacle for the masses.

Hard to believe - Seahawks to the Super Bowl
Sunday, January 22, 2006, 7:01 PM

I was a sophomore in high school that last time that the Seattle Seahawks played for the AFC championship and a trip to the Super Bowl. They lost that game to the Oakland Raiders. But today's results in the NFC championship game are quite different. As the fireworks going off in my neighborhood attest, the Seahawks have made it to the Super Bowl in two weeks with a 34-14 win today over the Carolina Panthers. Bring on the Steelers!

Contemplating e-mail, and whether to trust Gmail
Saturday, January 21, 2006, 5:03 PM

My PowerMail program has been having problems over the last few weeks, with frequent crashes and the need to rebuild the database and such. I did a low-level database rebuild today, and we will see if that takes care of the problem. But the recent series of problems with my e-mail tool of choice had me spend some of the day today looking once again at the alternatives. Unfortunately, the only real advances in e-mail tools for Mac OS X over the last few years has been the emergence of services like Gmail. The on-board programs - Mail, Eudora, Entourage, MailSmith, PowerMail, GyazMail, etc. - are pretty much stuck in stasis.

So the question I have, especially in light of the news this week that Google is fighting the Feds to keep their hands off Google search databases, is whether people really trust free services like Gmail? I have always viewed free e-mail services as being worth exactly what you pay for them. In other words, don't rely on free tools. And so with something as critical as e-mail, I have always opted for programs that I can archive on my own machine and back up. I tested mirroring all of my incoming e-mail on Gmail a couple of weeks ago, but I really don't trust my data living on their servers.

What are using to manage your e-mail? And do you just throw caution to the wind and trust online e-mail services like Gmail? |

iPhoto and useful 3rd party apps
Saturday, January 21, 2006, 2:36 PM

Derrick Story writes:

iPhoto 6 and 3rd Party Apps - I depend on 3rd party apps and plugins to extending the functionality of iPhoto. Here's how my current favorites work with version 6. [O'Reilly MacDevCenter.com]

How to derail the new Broadcast Flags content grab - get involved
Saturday, January 21, 2006, 1:17 PM

Boing Boing links to a useful page from the Electronic Freedom Foundation that lets to tell your Senator why the Broadcast Flags bill is bad for consumers. Check it out...

NY Times on the fleeting nature of today's Net
Saturday, January 21, 2006, 1:13 PM

The New York Times offers an interesting article today about the battle advertisers face as they try to find a way to reach the most lucrative consumers - those between 18 and 35 years old: A generation serves notice: A moving target

Apple warns to expect MacBook Pro shortages
Thursday, January 19, 2006, 1:15 PM

It looks like the early orderers of the new MacBook Pro will be some of the few folks getting the new Apple notebooks soon. I wonder when the real ship date of the replacement for the PowerBook will fall?

Apple: expect MacBook Pro shortages - Apple Computer will likely run into shortages of its first Intel-based laptop when the machine debuts next month, company executives said... [MacDailyNews]

Update to OpenOffice.org available
Thursday, January 19, 2006, 10:24 AM

OpenOffice.org - 2.0 - full-featured office productivity suite [VersionTracker: Mac OS X]

Mac sales slowed last quarter...duh
Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 10:16 PM

Apple Sees 'Pause' In Mac Sales - Apple executives confirmed Wednesday that some buyers put off Mac purchases last quarter in anticipation of new Intel-based Macs -- although that slowdown was masked somewhat by strong iPod sales. By Ina Fried, CNET News.com [myapplemenu]

iTunes MiniStore now opt-in
Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 9:37 PM

iTunes MiniStore Is Now Opt-In - Apple's pitch-perfect response to confusion and criticism regarding iTunes's new MiniStore feature. [Daring Fireball]

Another use for Tinderbox - problem solving
Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 9:27 PM

Mark Bernstein points out a couple of interesting posts about ways that Tinderbox can be used for problem solving. Really, the mind-mapping capabilities of Tinderbox are under-appreciated.

A funny thought while watching the Golden Globe Awards
Monday, January 16, 2006, 10:58 PM

OK, someone should try predicting tomorrow's crazy homophobic religious guy quote for Pat Robertson before the irrelevant old man can utter the words himself regarding the sweeping number of awards for Brokeback Mountain, a movie about homosexuals in love. Who will he call on his god to smote today?

Macintouch on the new iMac
Monday, January 16, 2006, 4:03 PM

Macintouch has notes about the new Intel iMac, including system profile information...

The battle against writer's block goes on
Monday, January 16, 2006, 2:37 PM

I have always been one of those writers who scoffs at the notion of writer's block. I usually have a wide enough variety of writing on my plate that I can avoid the ruts that stereotypically plague those who make their living with pen and paper or keyboard and computer screen. But I am struggling mightily to put the finishing touches on my current never-ending book project, Washington Disasters and Heroic Rescues. I have the day off from work today to mark the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday, and I am slowly plugging away at finishing another chapter for the book that should already be finished, but it is painfully slow progress.

The good news is that once I finish writing my current chapter about coal mining disasters in the state, all I have left to do on my part of the book is to write the introduction and to write the chapter about the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. It sounds pretty manageable...I just have to get it done. Once and for all...

More photos and details about the MacBook Pro
Sunday, January 15, 2006, 9:48 PM

Jason O'Grady offers a set of photos and quick notes about the MacBook Pro.

More proof - Windows users just don't get it
Sunday, January 15, 2006, 8:37 PM

Tonight there is more proof that many in the media and many Windows users just don't understand. A Techworld.com article makes it sound like Mac users are rejoicing because they may soon be able to run Windows on Macs:

Even without specific help from Apple, the existence of Macs built on Intel's x86 instruction set eventually will give users a choice of OSes to run on their new Apple machines.

My question to the author and to industry experts: I have already chosen to avoid the virus-plagued Windows world to use Mac OS X. The new screaming-fast Macs offer a chance to run Mac OS X even faster. Why would any sane person then choose to load the nightmare that is Windows onto the machine?

The media and Windows users just don't get it. Mac users have already made their choice. And while millions of Windows users are spending hours trying to fight viruses, adware and spyware from bringing their computers to their knees, Mac users are safely browsing the Web, using e-mail and doing creative work on their machines.

No thanks, Microsoft. Call me when your software has something to offer other than compromises.

I think that the real story of Mac OS X running on Intel-based chips is that someone will come up with a way to allow users of non-Apple machines to load a real operating system on their Microsoft-crippled PCs.

A first look at iWork
Saturday, January 14, 2006, 1:13 PM

Macworld offers a first look at the new iWork '06. I am reading it now, trying to decide if it is worth plunking down $79 for the program with this new version...

The growth of iPod connections built into cars
Thursday, January 12, 2006, 4:13 PM

CNN Money has an interesting article about the growing number of cars being built in the U.S. and around the world with built in iPod connectors:

Telematics Research Group forecasts that by 2011, 28 million autos in the U.S. and 73 million autos worldwide will have iPod integration, up from just under a million last year.

Microsoft scaling back Mac Business Unit?
Thursday, January 12, 2006, 11:29 AM

Report: Microsoft scaling back Mac Business Unit, plans to exit consumer Mac software - Despite pledging its support for Apple's platform, Microsoft has backed out of future releases of Windows Media Player for Mac... [MacDailyNews]

While this is a bit alarming to read in a headline, the reality is that killing Windows Media Player for the Mac is a godsend, especially since Microsoft is offering a free alternative to play WMA files through QuickTime. Windows Media Player for the Mac has never worked reliably.

Tinderbox 3.0.3 update released
Thursday, January 12, 2006, 10:35 AM

Tinderbox 3.0.3 - A new Tinderbox release is now available for download, along with a significant update to Flint. Most of the changes are internal fixes, but some useful additions include:

more date arithmetic
new attributes LineSpacing for text windows, and NameBold for outlines and maps

You can view sample Flint pages online. [Tinderbox Syndicate]

A valid question - is iLife '06 geared to Intel Macs?
Thursday, January 12, 2006, 10:33 AM

An opinion piece on Ars.Technica today raises an interesting question: Whether the revised iLife '06 suite from Apple is going to be an improvement over iLife '05 for those using G4 and G5-based Macs, or whether the suite is more geared to the coming Intel-based Macs. Charles Jade feels that iPhoto '06 is a disappointment on a G4.

Apple releases Safari update for earlier versions of OS X
Thursday, January 12, 2006, 10:27 AM

Apple releases Safari 1.3.2 for Mac OS X 10.3.x (Panther) - Apple has released Safari 1.3.2 for Mac OS X 10.3.x (Panther), which brings some of the improvements built into the latest Mac OS X 10.4.x (Tiger) version of Safari (2.0.3) to Panther. [MacFixIt]

Welcome to the world of universal binary
Thursday, January 12, 2006, 10:08 AM

There will be two key words to watch for in the coming months, as Apple makes its switch to Intel-based Macs: Universal Binary. Expect to see a rush of software being updated in the next few months to universal binary applications - programs that will run faster on new Intel-based Macs than applications that are running in an emulation mode. The more you see these two key words coming from software developers, the more you can be assured that the transition to Intel-based Macs is going smoothly...

How to kill the new iTunes "MiniStore"
Wednesday, January 11, 2006, 9:19 AM

I bit the bullet and installed all of the Apple OS X software updates yesterday, and like many I was surprised to see the new "MiniStore" on the bottom of iTunes when I re-opened the program after restarting. There is a setting to turn off the store on the bottom of the iTunes window, but here is another way to turn it off:

Killing the iTunes "MiniStore" - Yesterday's iTunes update continues the recent tradition of adding marketing features instead of, well, real features. When you start it up for the first time and see the "MiniStore" that appears at the bottom of the main window, don't panic - just hit Cmd-shift-M. [Forwarding Address: OS X]

This new "feature" is raising a few eyebrows because of the implication that Apple is constantly checking what you are listening to in iTunes in order to pitch selections to you from the iTunes Music Store. Is Apple spying on you with this feature? Some think so. I just turned it off and moved on with my life...

Update: Boing Boing has a lot on this, including confirmation that turning off the MiniStore will turn off lookups on what music you are playing. Problem solved!

Fire up Flint to create Tinderbox sites
Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 10:23 PM

Eastgate Systems touts the abilities of its new tool, Flint. The add on for Tinderbox makes it easy to create custom Web sites using the powerful content, note and everything management tool. The cost of Flint... $19.95.

See, it isn't all about shiny new Mac hardware and software coming from inside Apple...

Omni Group offers universal binaries of apps
Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 8:17 PM

Omni Group announces Universal Binary updates - The Omni Group has announced free upgrades to the Universal Binary versions of their software applications OmniGraffle, OmniOutliner, OmniDiskSweeper, OmniObjectMeter, and OmniDictionary... [MacMinute.com]

Mac OS X 10.4.4 released
Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 4:40 PM

Check your Software Update panel to get the promised update to Mac OS X 10.4.4. Apple's release notes for the update include:

The 10.4.4 Update delivers overall improved reliability and compatibility for Mac OS X v10.4 and is recommended for all users.

It includes fixes for:

SMB/CIFS and NFS network file services

Bluetooth wireless access

Core Graphics, Core Audio, Core Image, RAW camera support, including updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers

Spotlight indexing and searching

AppleScript, iChat, DVD Player, and Safari applications

Dashboard widgets: Calendar and Stocks

Software Update and Sync Services

compatibility with USB and FireWire devices and third party applications

previous standalone security updates

For detailed information on this Update, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n302810.

For detailed information on Security Updates, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n61798.

Are you jumping in? How is the water? |

Just what is an Express Card slot?
Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 1:28 PM

Jason O'Grady offers some more sobbering notes about the new MacBook Pro:

Some changes to note are the lack of a modem port, new smaller Express Card slot, new power adapter plug and no Firewire 800 port. Any of these could pose problems for some users.

The long and short of it is that with these new machines you will need to fork out additional money for a modem, additional money for new universal binary or native software, and additional money for accessories that you currently use through a PC Card slot. As always, change comes with costs...

Update: The Register offers an explanation of what the Express Card slot is:

an ExpressCard slot - the PCI Express-based successor to PC Card/PCMCIA...

Apple posts QuickTime stream of keynote
Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 1:19 PM

For a company that touts itself as a cutting-edge technology firm, it seems odd that Apple no longer offers live feeds from its annual keynote at Macworld Expo. In its place, you can get the news on digital delay now through a QuickTime stream on the Apple Web site. Just pretend it is live and relevant now...

Update - iTunes 6.0.2
Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 12:49 PM

Apple has released an update for iTunes, available now through the Software Update panel, with the following in the release notes:

iTunes 6.0.2 includes stability and performance improvements over iTunes 6.0.1.

Update - QuickTime 7.0.4
Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 11:42 AM

Apple releases QuickTime 7.0.4 - Apple today released QuickTime 7.0.4 via its Software Update utility... [MacMinute.com]

Browsing the stats for the MacBook Pro
Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 11:28 AM

There is no doubt in my mind that Apple will find success among current PowerBook users who are eager to upgrade to the new MacBook Pro. I like what I see, and the specs look like a nice leap from what was state-of-the-art for Mac notebooks prior to the keynote. But I plan to play it safe before I upgrade. I'll let the machines ship and be out in the real world for a few months, then I will place my order. That is, if I can hold myself back long enough... |

Innovation in the new MacBook Pro - the MagSafe connector
Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 11:09 AM

OK, so Apple could have come up with a better name for this innovation, but the MagSafe power connector is not a small matter for anyone who knows that horrible feeling of tripping over a power cord and trying to catch the notebook as gravity sends it hurling to the floor. How many dollars worth of needless notebook repairs will be saved thanks to this little invention? |

Macworld keynote notes and reactions
Tuesday, January 10, 2006, 10:24 AM

I will try to track the ongoing keynote from Macworld in San Francisco in this post. Things should be getting underway at the expo any moment now...

Sites with keynote coverage:

New/updated hardware:

MacBook Pro! is a new replacement for the PowerBook running dual Intel chips. 4-5 times faster than the fastest PowerBook. This version will have a 15.4 inch screen, integrated iSight, and thinner than the 17-inch PowerBook. Also has infrared to work with the Apple remote control. 5.6 pounds - hefty... Two versions: 1.67 MHz for $1,999 or 1.83 MHz for $2,499. Apple is accepting orders today, shipping in February.
A new Intel-based iMac goes on sale today as the first Intel-based Mac - 2-3 times faster than the iMac G5. 17- and 20-inch versions shipping today. iLife and iWork will run as universal applications on the new machine, and Mac OS X 10.4.4 runs native on Intel. All Apple pro applications will be available as universal binaries in March.
An iPod remote/FM tuner. Price = $49.

New/updated software:

Mac OS X 10.4.4 is available for download today...Highlights: New Google widget for Dashboard, new front end for the Address Book, new look for calendars... Mac OS X 10.4.4 is native on Intel...
iLife '06 will include "photocasting" - which Jobs describes as Podcasting for photos - from iPhoto. iPhoto will now have a limit of holding 250,000 photos. iPhoto will also have greeting card and calendar templates... New animated themes for iMovie. More pro features are trickling down to these consumer software products in iLife '06. GarageBand will also get new Podcasting features in this new release. Jobs also announces the addition of iWeb to iLife '06 - a way for iLife users to share their content over the Web. iWeb will offer an easy way to publish template-based sites to your .Mac accounts (no word that I have seen so far about putting these on your own server - but that should be a no brainer). Sites will also integrate RSS feeds... iLife '06, now including a total of six applications, will be available today with the same price of $79. iLife '06 is a universal program - it will work on the new Intel machines...
iWork update coming as well. Shipping today at the same price of $79, although with no new applications. New in this version are 3D charting capabilities, more advanced imaging.

.Mac down during keynote tomorrow
Monday, January 9, 2006, 10:12 AM

.Mac service maintenance during keynote announced - Apple has published a note to its .Mac Web page to notify users that the service will be down during Steve Jobs keynote address at Macworld Expo in San Francisco tomorrow... [MacMinute.com]

DIY Planner on the value of a good notebook
Monday, January 9, 2006, 10:05 AM

Doug over at DIY Planner offers a good reminder about why everyone should have a simple paper notebook and pen handy: The Notebook: Could it be more obvious?

Adobe announces Lightroom
Sunday, January 8, 2006, 9:40 PM

Adobe announces Lightroom - Adobe answers Apple's Aperture with a public beta of its new workflow application, Lightroom. [Ars Technica]

Derrick Story offers his take on Lightroom vs. Aperture on Macworld. One point he concedes to Lightroom is that it runs fine on a 1.5 Mhz PowerBook, where Aperture bogs down...

Mossberg on the new Treo: Stick with the Palm version
Friday, January 6, 2006, 1:36 PM

Walt Mossberg doesn't mince words in his review of the new Treo 700w:

The Treo 700w will appeal to some Windows Mobile fans, and to some corporate IT staffs. But for everyone else, I advise sticking with the Palm-based Treos.

A good question for photogs: What tripod do you carry?
Friday, January 6, 2006, 11:42 AM

The Digital Photography Weblog asks an interesting question today, and it should be enlightening to read the responses: Tripods: what's in your bag?

iLife 06 and something called iWeb?
Thursday, January 5, 2006, 12:16 PM

Apple may be readying iLife update - Information posted to its Web site makes reference to iLife '06 and a planned product called iWeb. [CNET News.com]

MacDailyNews offers some more speculation...

How MNJ will cover announcements from Macworld Expo
Wednesday, January 4, 2006, 2:14 PM

Since it appears that Apple will not be offering a live audio or video feed from the keynote address on Jan. 10 at 9 a.m. Pacific Time, my options for covering the happenings in San Francisco will be limited to what I have done in the past - I will be digging up info from Macworld as quickly as possible, and then boiling down that information for consumption on Mac Net Journal throughout the day.

I haven't written about Macworld and any of my expectations yet. Obviously, given my concerns about my aging PowerBook, and also my desire to buy Natalie a replacement for the iPod shuffle that she lost in December, I will be eager to see what Apple is up to in those two product categories...

The agonizing sounds of a dying fan in my PowerBook
Wednesday, January 4, 2006, 11:14 AM

Over the last day or so, the sounds eminating from the fan in my 12-inch PowerBook G4 have grown louder and louder, leading me to think I will have to ship the machine that contains my book in progress and photos and all other parts of my digital life off to Apple for repairs within the next few weeks. The three-year Applecare policy runs out on this machine at the end of February, but I dread being without the PowerBook for a week or more. And then there is the question of whether this will actually be covered under my Applecare policy? I guess it's time to make a phone call in the short term, and to think about the replacement cycle for this machine in the slightly longer term.

So goes life with an aging laptop... |

Macintouch releases its laptop reliability report
Tuesday, January 3, 2006, 4:27 PM

Wanna see how your PowerBook or iBook measures up? Take a look at the exhaustive results from the laptop reliability report at Macintouch...

The latest installment of About This Particular Outliner
Monday, January 2, 2006, 3:57 PM

Ted Goranson offers more comparisons of TAO and OmniOutliner in the latest installment of About This Particular Outliner...

Scott Rosenberg takes Intuit and the New York Times to task
Tuesday, December 27, 2005, 6:45 PM

Scott Rosenberg raises some valid questions about Intuit and the way that its Quicken program treats Mac users:

My Mac-based wife wants to get her Quicken into better shape and reorganize some of those barnacled categories, so we upgraded her version from 2003 to 2006. Intuit charges twice as much for the Mac version -- and, for your extra dough, throws in only half the features. Now there's a business model.

Rosenberg also notes that the New York Times did its readers a disservice with its rave article about Intuit when the company overcharges and under-delivers for Mac users. Right on! Now, as for the alternatives, I too am interested in workable alternatives to Quicken on the Mac. Does anyone have experience with alternate programs that may be worthwhile? |